Masked valve



S. MEURER MASKED VALVE Jan. 13, 1959 Filed Nov. 3, 1955 INVENTOR UnitedStates Patent MASKED VALVE Siegfried Meurer, Numberg, Germany, assignorto Maschmenfabrik Augsburg-Niirnberg A. G., Nurnberg, GermanyApplication November 3, 1955, Serial No. 544,798 Claims priority,application Germany November 4, 1954 8 Claims. (Cl. 123188) Thisinvention relates to air intake valves for internal combustion engines.In particular, the invention is directed to an intake valve providedwith a mask which is movable with the valve during the opening andclosing thereof, and which serves to direct the intake air into thecylinder with a predetermined swirling movement. The object of theinvention is to mount a mask on a valve head so that it rides with thehead during the opening and closing of the valve, but remains stationarywith respect to rotational movements of the valve head With respect tothe valve seat.

In order to produce a swirling motion in the combustion gases, includingthe air introduced into the cylinder of an internal combustion engine,inlet valves are used upon which are mounted masks so that the stream ofthe intake gas is throttled across a portion of the valve seat, and theintake gas thus given a desired swirling direction into the cylinder.However, such a valve having a fixed mask must be prevented fromrotating in order to keep the mask in its proper aerodynamical positionwith respect to the valve port. This results in the disadvantage in thatthe valve head is kept from rotating, and can not self-grind itself uponthe valve seat. In general, the objects of this invention are obtainedby forming the mask of a separate piece and mounting it upon the valvehead so that it will move in a longitudinal direction with the valvehead during the opening and closing of the valve,

, 2,868,187 Patented Jan. 13, 1959 A spring 8 coiled about valve stem 4has its lower end fastened by means of a flange 9 to cap 6. The upperend 10 of spring 8 projects into a slot Ill-a, in valve guide 2.Consequently, cap 6 is fixed against rotation and merely slides on valvehead when the latter rotates.

At the same time spring 8 keeps cap 6 seated on valve but will not movewith the rotation of the valve head.

Consequently, no means are provided for preventing the rotation of thevalve, but it is only necessary to provide means for keeping the maskstationary with respect to any rotation of the valve head.

The means by which the objects of the invention are obtained aredescribed more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, inwhich Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view through an intake valveprovided with a mask;

Figure 2 is a similar view of a modified form of the invention;

Figure 3 is a plan view of a modified form of a mask for a valve;

Figure 3a is a cross-sectional view through an intake valve having themask of Figure 3; and

Figure 4 is a plan view of a further modified form of a mask for avalve.

In the drawings, similar elements are designated by the same referencecharacters.

As seen in Figure 1, the cylinder head 1 has a valve guide 2 fittedtherein, and a valve 3 having a stem 4 slidably mounted in guide 2. Thevalve head 5 fits as usual upon its corresponding valve seat. As inordinary poppet valves, valve stem 4 moves longitudinally in guide 2 toopen and close valve head 5, and at the same time rotates about itslongitudinal axis.

A separate cap 6 rests upon the inner surface of valve head 5, and isprovided with a mask 7 in order to deflect the incoming gases from theintake duct through the inlet port and produce a predetermined swirl inthe cylinder.

head 5 so that the cap and mask move longitudinally with the valve whenthe same opens and closes. By this means, all the parts are connectedoperatively in each phase of the valve stroke, and the friction betweenvalve head 5 and cap 6 is not so strong as to prevent valve head 8 fromrotating. The free end 10 of spring 8 could also be secured in a notchin cylinder head 1, or in any other manner in order to keep it fromrotating.

In the modified form in Figure 2, cap 6 is provided with anupwardly-extending tongue 11 which projects into a slot 12 in the lowerend of valve guide 2, and this tongue moves in slot 12 only during thelongitudinal stroke of the valve, or, in other words, slot 12 preventscap 6 from rotating with respect to the valve, and again the position ofmask 7 is fixed. Cap 6 is kept seated upon valve head 5 by means of anexpansion ring 13 which engages in opposing undercut portions 14 and 15in the valve stem 4 and the base of tongue 11, respectively. As inFigure 1, slot 12 could be replaced by a notch in the cylinder head, orany other means can be used to secure tongue 11 from rotational movementabout the longitudinal axis of the valve.

The valve cap 16 of Figures 3 and 3a includes the mask 7 as in Figures 1and 2. However, this sheetmetal cap has radially extending slits 17 sothat the material be tween the slits is bent upwardly into the form ofspring leaf tongues 18, which grasp the valve stem with their upper endsseated in a groove 19 as indicated in Figure 3a. This engagement holdscap 16 upon the valve head, but in such a manner that the valve head canstill rotate, while the cap is kept from rotating by means of tongues 20on either or both of the mask 7 or a spring leaf tongue 18, and which,similar to tongue 11 of Figure 2, are guided within a slot within thecylinder head or in the valve guide 2.

Figure 4 shows a further form of the invention in which a sector-shapedcap 21, including mask 7, is secured to a snap ring 22 so that the ring22 can grasp the valve stem as described for the tongues 18 in Figure3a. Stiffening beads 23 are formed in the cap sector. The cap isrestrained from rotating on the valve head by means of tongues 20,either attached to mask 7 or ring 22, or both, and functioning like thetongues 11 in Figure 2.

Having now described the means by which the objects of the invention areobtained, I claim:

1. A masked intake valve for an internal combustion engine, comprising avalve head, a separate mask mounted upon said head, means fixing saidmask to said valve head for longitudinal movement therewith, and meansfor restraining said mask from rotational movement with said valve head.

2. A masked intake valve as in claim 1, said fixing means comprising acap slidably mounted on said valve, and a spring yieldably holding saidcap upon said valve head.

3. A masked valve as in claim 2, further comprising means securing oneend of said spring to said cap, and said restraining means comprisingmeans for holding the other end of said spring against rotationalmovement with said valve.

4. A masked valve as in claim 1, said fixing means further comprising acap slidably mounted on said valve, a tongue projecting from said cap,and groove means for receiving said tongue for longitudinal movementonly of said cap with said valve head.

5. A masked valve as in claim 4, further comprising a valve guide, andan expansion ring between said cap and said valve guide.

6. A masked valve as in claim 1, said fixing means further comprising acap slidably mounted on said valve head, spring-leaf tongues struck outfrom said cap and engaging said valve, and said restraining meansfurther comprising tongues projecting from said cap.

7. A masked valve as in claim 1, said fixing means further comprising asector-like cap slidably mounted on said valve head, a valve stem, agroove in said stem, and a snap ring secured to said cap and engagingsaid groove.

8. In an internal combustion engine, a masked intake valve having avalve head with an air deflecting mask thereon, said valve performing arotational movement about its axis during its working stroke, comprisingmeans References Cited in the file of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS515,718 Germany Jan. 12, 1931 310,678 Italy Aug. 31, 1933 310,679 ItalyAug. 31, 1933 311,539 Italy Oct. 4, 1933 465,261 Great Britain May 4,1937 682,448 Great Britain Nov. 12, 1952

